Pilot Replacement of Exhaust Pipes with Four Cleaning Vehicles to Front Vertical Type... Prevention of Respiratory Diseases for Environmental Sanitation Workers
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that it has replaced the exhaust pipes of cleaning vehicles transporting household waste from rear horizontal type to front vertical type for the health of sanitation workers.
Currently, the exhaust pipes of cleaning vehicles are installed under the vehicle, causing sanitation workers to inhale exhaust gases directly when loading waste onto the vehicle from the rear, which may harm their respiratory health.
The district decided to newly install the exhaust pipes of cleaning vehicles so that they face upward to prevent sanitation workers from being exposed to gases during work and to reduce damage caused by scattered dust and heat.
Out of a total of 33 compression and compaction cleaning vehicles from four local contractors collecting and transporting household waste, new exhaust pipes were pilot-installed on four vehicles. Vehicle performance and regular inspections will be conducted to verify the effects, and installation will be gradually expanded.
According to the "Study on the Work Environment Status and Health Checkup Improvement for Sanitation Workers" published by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency in 2018, garbage collectors and cleaning vehicle drivers were found to work while exposed to high concentrations of fine dust (PM2.5) at averages of 122.4㎍/㎥ and 100.7㎍/㎥, respectively.
The Ministry of Environment revised the "Enforcement Rules of the Waste Management Act" to mandate changing the exhaust pipes of household waste cleaning vehicles to vertical type.
Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We will prioritize the health and safety of sanitation workers and actively strive to improve the working environment.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
